Netflix Wanted to Film Stranger Things Seasons 3 & 4 Back-to-Back

Netflix wanted to film Stranger Things seasons 3 and 4 back-to-back. Considering how much of a runaway hit last year’s debut season of Stranger Things ended up being, it’s not too surprising to learn that the streaming service wanted to keep the pedal to the metal as far as production on the series goes. As it is, next month’s season 2 is already arguably the most widely anticipated returning series of the fall, depending on how one feels about AMC’s The Walking Dead.

For the time being, only Stranger Things season 3 has been officially confirmed as coming, although one imagines that Netflix will probably be ready and willing to formally greenlight season 4. On a show such as Stranger Things, though, one wonders how many of the characters will even survive to see season 3, much less season 4. After all, Demogorgons aren’t exactly a merciful bunch.

According to a new report from THR, one of the primary reasons Netflix wanted to shoot seasons 3 and 4 back-to-back is that the service hoped to avoid any awkward transitions into adolescence that the young cast members might experience. While that may seem like a valid concern, Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers and producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen all reportedly banded together to veto the idea, arguing that it wouldn’t be possible to turn out episodes that quickly.

In lieu of shooting fast in order to avoid the aging of the cast, the team behind Stranger Things instead made the decision to craft stories appropriate for where the actors are in terms of age, suggesting that each season will likely have a realistic gap in time from where the last season ended.

Interestingly enough, the same THR reports says that based on what a smash Stranger Things has been, most if not all of the child cast will look to renegotiate their deals early next year. Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin all reportedly earned $30,000 per episode for seasons 1 and 2, with a less than six-figure bonus tied to the success of the show. At this time, it’s unclear whether Brown will negotiate her deal separately, due to the overwhelming popularity of Eleven. With Stranger Things having launched a merchandising cash cow for Netflix, it’s not hard to see why its stars want more of those sweet, sweet dollars.